Daily Devotion for January 27, 2025

Devotion:

For an audio version of this devotion, click here.

Read Proverbs 27:17.

Here at Christ Church, our men’s ministry hosted the annual Iron Sharpens Iron conference for several years until Covid hit and the conferences were shut down. The theme of those conferences was based on this verse. If we rub two pieces of iron with edges together, they will burnish and sharpen one another. If one of the pieces has been tempered to a greater hardness, it will sharpen the other. The one being sharpened will have a brighter, keener edge, and it will be more useful and effective as a knife or other tool.

The promise and implication of this verse for us is that we are to be in relationships with others, and in those relationships of mutual trust and respect, we are made better by the other person. Throughout my life, I have had the benefit of some awesome teachers who imparted knowledge to me that made me more effective. Wonderful mentors have supported me, while holding me accountable for my actions. I have been fortunate to have friendships in which each of us could mutually sharpen the other. The best marriages provide the ideal setting for this sharpening through mutual support and accountability.   

Personal Worship Option:

Are you in relationships in which you are both supported and held accountable? Perhaps a small group in which this takes place would be good for you if you are not already in one. And in your relationships, look for the opportunity to sharpen and to be sharpened.